Notes

I knew I was going to have a potentially difficult teleconference call
to determine the IP concerns for my research, so I decided to dress
interestingly. IBM dress code isn't strict at the Center for Advanced
Studies because we're expected to be geeky researchers, and I knew I
could get away with it. Besides, Fridays during off-seasons, there's
hardly anyone there.

So I decided to wear the skirt Kathy gave me. I thought I might as
well get a few more uses out of the skirt before winter really set in.
The skirt naturally suggested this whole pink outfit: a heavy maroon
corduroy shirt/jacket, a pink T-shirt, a plaid miniskirt, and shocking
pink tights. Fortunately I didn't have pink winter boots, only black
ones! ;) (Despite all your assurances, Kathy, it is *NOT* a winter
mini!)

In the middle of cramming my presentation for the teleconference, I
heard the distinctive clicking of the shutter of an SLR camera. I grew
up around photographers. I'd know that sound anywhere. I looked up to
find five or so people standing in the middle of the Center for
Advanced Studies. One of them has a serious-looking camera, and he was
pointing it in my direction.

"This is just perfect," said the person who appeared to be in charge,
smiling.

I stopped slouching and looked around. There was no one else in my
corner of the lab: just my desk, the brightly colored kite dangling
from my wall, the wobbler toy I occasionally talk to when I podcast,
and me in a shocking pink outfit.

They said that they'd talked to my manager already.

I pushed up my glasses and touched my hair, self-conscious about a
messy ponytail. I'd gotten just five hours of sleep and hadn't had the
time to put it in a bun.

"Oh, don't worry, it's just for a poster for IBM 3600. We want to show
them what the Lab is like."

I smiled while thinking, "Oh no oh no oh no..." Of all the days to
catch me in a miniskirt and shocking pink tights. Then again, it
would've been a tossup between that or a brilliantly colored malong.

And hey, if word got out that IBM technology gets invented by cute
girls... ;)

I suppose that dressing conservatively would allow me to avoid stuff
like that, but then it wouldn't be *nearly* as much fun. Although
maybe I should start seriously looking for ethnic accents like scarves
and stuff like that, so that I can still spice up a conservative-ish
wardrobe...

Another interesting thing is that this was the second time my desk has
turned up in promotional material. Apparently, my desk was included in
a recently filmed video about the Center for Advanced Studies,
although I wasn't there at the time.

Possible explanations:

The brightly-colored kite and stash of hot chocolate packets at my desk give it far more character than other grad students' desks.

They want to archive potentially embarrassing material for when I'm famous. ;) "See, this was her first IBM desk!"

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Page: 2006.10.14

Updated: 2006-12-2612:42:4012:42:40+0800

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